“Wait. What?” Maddie asks. Her eyes are so big, I think they might pop straight out of her head. I wiggle my fingers, getting my hands ready to reach out and catch them.

“Never mind. It was just a joke.” I probably should have given her a tiny bit of background before I dropped such a bad line on her. But she needs to get away from Trent, and I need a way to stay in the country, so the ridiculous idea would actually serve both of us. Probably why it popped into my mind.

“Erik, back up.” Maddie closes her eyes and shakes her head, as if trying to understand my outlandish request. “Where in the world did that come from?”

“It’s nothing.” I shift on my feet, uncomfortable that I even brought it up.

“It has to be something. No one drops a line like that out of the blue.” The way she urges me to explain makes me think she wants there to be more to it. Maddie never could let things go. She’s one of those girls who spills everything to her friends—and expects the same in return.

“Can I tell you something? In complete confidence?”

“Yes.” She nods.

By the way her eyes soften and her shoulders drop ever so slightly, I can tell she’s happy I’m confiding in her. She’s not on alert. She’s genuine. But I’ve known that for years. She picked up many of her parents’ qualities, but being insincere isn’t one of them.

“I’m going to be sent to the Czech Republic.”

“I don’t understand. Who would send you to the Czech Republic? And why?”

“I’m going to lose my work permit in about”—I remove my hat and run a hand through my thick hair, soaked with sweat from the blistering sun and rising temperatures—“I don’t know, six months, I guess.”

“Why? How? What work permit?” Maddie asks, confusion twisting her lips and pulling her eyebrows together. The more I say, the more I confuse her because she doesn’t know anything about me or my life. Which only makes sense. Despite the relationship we had when we were teenagers, I never once mentioned my dirty secret. Once I found out, I couldn’t tell anyone.

Sweat drips from her neck and trails down the valley between her breasts. The long-running fantasy I have of wrapping her legs around me and fucking her against the black walnut in the backyard flashes through my head. It’s ridiculous to be thinking about fucking her when we’re having such a serious conversation, but I can’t help it. After dragging her out of the pool and seeing her laying there lifeless, all I can think of is making her mine. I will protect her at all times.

“It’s a bunch of political bullshit.” I shake my head to dismiss both the conversation and the fantasy that’s making my dick hard. “Forget I said anything.”

I gotta get back to work. Standing here with her so close has me frustrated and angry. She’s not mine. She’ll never be mine. I slap the ball cap back on my head and turn toward my mower. But Maddie reaches out and touches my shoulder.

Fuck me.

Can she feel the electricity like I can? The zap? The sizzle? The warmth? She used to have a crush on me. I knew it by the way she would spy on me from behind trees and through windows when I first started working here with my grandfather. She tried to be slick at first, but once I caught her and asked her why she kept staring at me. She dismissed the question with a nonchalant shrug, handed me a bottle of ice-cold water, and all was forgotten.

“Please tell me, Erik,” she pleads. “I want to help.”

“I don’t think you can help, Maddie.”

She puts her hands on her hips, tilts her head, and gives me the prettiest pout I’ve ever seen. Her eyes are as big as saucers, imploring me to give in—a perfect imitation of that Puss in Boots character from the Shrek movies. The purse of her pretty, pink lips could bring a man to his knees.

I groan and lift my eyes to the sky. I’ve never been able to keep my mouth shut around her. “I’m unable to renew my work permit because a program that allowed me to stay in America, set up by one administration, is being revoked.”

“What does that mean, ‘allow you to stay here’? Why wouldn’t you be able to stay here?”

I pause, reluctant to reveal my deepest, darkest secret after years of having to stay silent. But it doesn’t matter now. “I’m not a U.S. citizen.”

“You aren’t?” Her face twists in confusion.

“Nope.”

“How?”

“It’s complicated,” I say, hoping it shuts her questioning down.

“I’m not leaving here until you explain yourself, Erik. You’re the one who brought it up.”

I should have known she wouldn’t let it go. Maddie’s always had a huge heart. She’s the girl who brings home stray cats—and stray people—because she truly wants to help everyone she meets.

She’s also nosy as fuck. I used to like that part. It made me feel important and interesting when she’d ask questions about me. And let’s be real—I was a thirteen-year-old ruled by hormones, and Maddie has been hot since the day I met her. Obviously, I’d do anything to get to hang out with her behind a big-ass tree.

Even though I’m embarrassed to admit that (technically) I’m an illegal immigrant, she’s right—I do want to talk about it. I haven’t had anyone to talk to because I don’t tell anyone. The only people who know my immigration status are Harris Commons, who helped my grandfather find a lawyer, and my grandmother. Telling someone I’m illegal sounds so sordid, like I snuck into the country or something. It wasn’t anything like that.

“You know you can talk to me, don’t you, sugar?”

I know “sugar” is a term of endearment Southern ladies use frequently, but hearing her use it to address me, in that soft, sweet drawl of hers, fills me with warmth and comfort. I know she’d never betray my trust, but I also told her father I would never tell anyone about my status.

I sigh with resignation. “Yes, I know I can talk to you.” I glance back at my mower. “But this isn’t the time. And we have a bigger problem to talk about than my citizenship.”

She looks around the yard, feigning ignorance at the bigger issue at hand—Trent.

“Has he put his hands on you before?” I ask carefully, but firmly.

She nods, but her eyes still won’t meet mine.

“You know you need to get away from him, right?”

She nods again.

“Are you ready to do that?”

Silence. No nod. Nothing.

“You know that I’ll help you, right?” I reach out and lift her chin with my fingers. “I’d do anything for you,” I say, repeating the words she said to me just moments ago.

Her eyes fill with tears. “I didn’t want to admit how bad it was to anyone. But you saw—” When she closes her eyes, the tears tumble out, spilling over her cheek.

I immediately grab her, pull her into my arms, and hold her tight. Her body shakes as she sobs. I tighten my grip and kiss the top of her head. “It’s okay, Maddie. I’m here.”

After a few moments in my arms, her shaking subsides and she pulls back. She wipes at her eyes quickly. “I want to get away from him. I just don’t know how. Last time I tried to break up with him—” She stops.

My body tenses. I already knew he fucked with her head. Today, I saw him push her. Now I wonder just how many times he’s hurt her physically. Anger rips though me, making my blood boil under my skin. If Maddie weren’t right here, I would be in my truck on my way to find Trent and rip his heart out through his throat. If I’m going to be deported no matter what, why not go out with a bang?

“He’s never going to hurt you again,” I say, looking her straight in the eye, hoping that helps her understand she can trust me completely. “I’m never going to let that happen. Do you understand?”

The tears are back, but at least she nods this time. Then she sniffs once, straightens her back, and stands taller. She hasn’t had a chance to process what happened today. She’s already pushing it aside and ready to get back to business.

She’s not ready, but I’ll let her have this moment. She needs to feel in control—even if it’s just a facade.

“I’m no pro at marriage or anything, but it would look a little fishy if we just announced it,” she says, sniffing again. I wish I had a handkerchief or tissue to hand her. Offering her the bottom of my dirty, damp T-shirt doesn’t seem appropriate. “Especially when everyone knows that I’ve been with Trent for years, but—”

Her entire demeanor changes as she processes the idea. Her eyes light up and her lips curve into a half-smile.

I can’t even believe she’s talking this out. I was joking when I mentioned marriage. It was outlandish. Ridiculous. Risky. And illegal. Completely illegal.

“But if we started dating, no one would bat an eye,” she finishes her thought. “You saved my life. We fell in love. It’s actually really easy. And believable.”

“Excuse me?” I ask. It doesn’t sound believable at all. “Literally everyone we know would bat an eye.” And probably my skull.

“Maybe we could start the fake dating process while we try to find other options to keep you here. Then if we do have to get married, it wouldn’t look so suspicious.”

“Stop talking.”

“What?” she asks. “Why?”

“You can’t be serious.”

“Why can’t I? You saved my life, Erik. Maybe I can save yours too.”

“Oh my god! Stop. Talking!” I say louder. This girl is off her damn rocker. Maybe she lost brain cells when she was dying.

Maddie folds her arms across her chest, mirroring my earlier stance. “Well, that was rude.”

“It’s…I…I’m not trying to be rude. I’m putting an end to this crazy talk.”

“May I remind you that you started this crazy talk?”

“Yeah, I know. And it was a joke.”

“Well, it wasn’t a very good one.” Maddie unravels her arms to brush her ponytail behind her shoulder. If any of my other clients did that, I’d label it as the quintessential huffy, rich-girl move. But Maddie is different. Maddie has made my heart speed up since the first time I noticed her peek at me out of the narrow windows on each side of the front door of the Commons’ mansion.

Today is different. My breath brought her to life again. If that doesn’t make a man feel like a fucking god, I don’t know what would. My eyes drop to her collarbone where sweat beads on her creamy skin.

“I see that now.” I shake my head, trying to regain control of my roving eyes and imagination. Because I know exactly which fantasy my imagination leads to.

“But were you being honest? Will you be forced to leave the country?”

“When the authorities come knocking, yes.”

“Then let’s do it.”

“You can’t be serious.” How is she so easily agreeable to something so ridiculous?

“I’m dead serious,” she says. “It can’t hurt, right? It gives us a dating history, and if getting married is a way to keep you here, then we’ll be covered. It won’t seem out of the blue or forced.”

“You do know that this plan is completely illegal, right?”

“Dating is illegal?”

“The intention behind our dating is.”

“What other options do you have?” she asks.

“None.”

Maddie smirks. It’s as infuriating as it is sexy.

“What about Trent?” I ask.

The smirk slips from her lips. “This gives me my out, I reckon.”

“I’m happy to be your out, if this is what finally gets you out. But I also want you to realize that you deserve better than that piece of shit. And you need to tell your family the truth about him.”

She lifts her hand to her forehead, then slides it around to the back. I reach out and brush her head, feeling the raised bump under my fingers.

“Well, our families are intertwined in multiple aspects of our business, so I have to be very careful in how I approach the situation.” Maddie bites her lip. “Can we give dating a try? It’ll help you as much as it’ll help me.” Her voice is low, less confident than it was a few seconds ago.

I have no clue what she’s going through. I’ve always seen Maddie as this hurricane of happiness—a larger than life, confident, energetic force. The last time I saw her insecure, vulnerable side was years ago, when we used to talk behind our tree. It makes her even more real. The urge to protect her from that asshole rises inside of me.

Even though I know starting a fake relationship is not a good idea, I can’t help but agree, because it allows me to get close to her. If I’m close to her, I can keep Trent away from her. Maybe I can help her heal from the trauma he’s put her through. She deserves to be as confident on the inside as she portrays on the outside.

“You sure you want to start this? Are you ready for the backlash?” I ask.

She hasn’t had time to think about what she’s getting herself into, but I can see the train wreck already. I know what her friends will say. I know what her mother will say. Fuck. I know her dad is gonna rail me as soon as he gets word of this. Not only could Harris pull his business from me, but I could lose multiple clients over this.

Maddie, who’s always so quick with her comebacks, pauses. Then she looks me dead in the eye and says, “I’m ready to fight for your life, like you fought for mine.”

Someone help me.

As if her words didn’t shock me enough, Maddie lifts her hand to my cheek and leans closer, lips hovering next to mine. The scent of bubble gum wafts under my nose. She always chews bubble gum. I’ve seen her walk out of the house in a power suit, five-inch heels, and a huge-ass, pink bubble protruding from her lips. It’s silly and sexy. Completely Maddie.

“This is for the neighbors. So everyone can see that we’ve started this passionate fling,” she says without a hint of humor.

“How passionate?” I tease, calling her bluff by grabbing her hips and pulling her against me. Chest to chest, I feel her heart speed up. Our mouths are inches away, but neither one of us has leaned in to seal this deranged agreement.

“We’ve gotta make this look real, don’t we?” she asks, her breath warm on my face.

Having Maddie in my arms feels right, like our bodies were made to be molded together. I’ve wanted to do this for years. Ever since a silly crush turned into raging teenage hormones, and most recently, an intense, unstoppable longing. It may be a fake relationship, but I’m going to treat her like the girl I’ve loved for years.

I just wonder how I’m going to keep my feelings for her out of this. Because the truth of the matter is that I will have to leave the country. Unless U.S. laws change again in the next six months, there’s no way around it. But I don’t need to tell her that right now. I need her to think there’s a chance—or there’s not even a reason to start this charade. It’ll give me a better chance to get back in the country if we both put our all into it.

“You came up with this idea pretty quickly. Almost like you’ve been planning a way to fake-date me,” I tease. She seems totally unaffected by the feel of my erection pressing against her stomach. I’ve dreamed about being this close—and doing these things—for over ten years.

“You’ll never know.” Instead of meeting my lips with hers, she rises onto her tiptoes and pops a quick kiss on my forehead. “To be continued,” she says in a breathy whisper.

After a few backward strides, she spins around and heads toward the house. My eyes linger on her perfect ass, hanging out of tiny, black shorts. I send up a silent thank you to whoever created women’s workout gear.

Tearing my eyes away from Maddie’s ass is difficult, but necessary. I replace my headphones and jump back onto my lawn mower.

Is she serious about this crazy plan or suffering side effects from minor brain trauma? If she wasn’t, why would she put the thought in my head and even make the effort to start the charade in the front yard? We both know someone in this neighborhood is always watching. With how much these Southern ladies love to gossip, I’d bet there’s already a community email going around about our almost-kiss just seconds ago.

Why would she lie? The very short, sad answer is: she’s Harris Commons’ daughter and she had to have inherited some of his qualities. Lying is as easy for Harris Commons as breathing. But that’s a shitty thought to have about the girl who just selflessly offered to do something illegal to help me stay the country.

It’s also especially shitty because the Commons have done so much for me and my family. Despite that, I still think he’d stab me in the back the minute I cross him, so I take his kindness with a grain of salt. Harris does things to have power over people, not out of the goodness of his heart. When he does you a favor, you owe him a favor. It’s a simple rule I know all too well.

I may have warned Maddie about the backlash she’ll face, but I’m bracing for a bit of my own. If any of the neighbors saw our interaction and it gets back to him before we tell him our reasoning, he’s not going to be happy.

Cookie’s gonna have a conniption when she finds out Maddie ditched Trent and started “dating” me. Despite how rough that will be on Maddie, it actually makes me laugh. I can’t wait to see Cookie’s face when she sees us together—watching her pasted smile grow bigger as she tries to hold back a biting comment.

Maddie’s mom threatened my job today simply for telling her the truth about what happened at the pool. I imagine she’ll do the same thing when we tell her we’re dating. Back when my grandfather owned the company, losing the Commons’ business would have been devastating, because he relied on him and his referrals. Grandpa’s ideal business model was fewer clients at a higher rate, based on the size of their property and the amount of work that went into each one. He prided himself on working on every client’s property personally.

While I think it’s a great model, I had other plans for the business—expansion. After he passed, I kept the high-end clients and those relationships my grandfather built. I work on all of their properties personally, just as he did. But I focused on building the business by bringing on other clients, as well. Since then, I’ve built a good-sized base and have various crews running seven days a week.

Over the last six years, I’ve built a company that can withstand losing a few clients to the backlash of the decision Maddie and I are making. It’ll be a hit at first, but I can make it up by taking on more clients whose yards I can get done quicker.

Thankfully, I can handle myself, but I sure hope Maddie knows what she’s getting into.